Second in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Dane Dunn, Sierra Canyon running back.
It’s a picture-perfect Thursday morning in Chatsworth. Running back Dane Dunn of Sierra Canyon High shows up for a workout in shorts. The first thing you notice are his legs. They are as thick as the trunk of a sequoia tree.
“I have to thank my mom for these legs,” he says.
At 5 feet 9 and 183 pounds, Dunn has a burst of speed that he calls upon whenever he needs to break away. It’s like pushing the button on a rocket and watching the thrust take over.
As a sophomore, he rushed for 1,925 yards and 24 touchdowns while earning Mission League MVP honors.
“I think he was the best player in the area last year,” coach Jon Ellinghouse said.
There’s no reason Dunn can’t be even better in his junior year after an offseason of lifting weights, training to get faster and deploying a work ethic that lets others know he’s never completely satisfied.
“He really has the whole package of the type of football player you want around,” Ellinghouse said.
Dunn wasn’t on many radars before last season began, though Ellinghouse thought otherwise after watching him play much of his freshman season on the junior varsity team.
“We knew we had something special,” he said.
Junior running back Dane Dunn of Sierra Canyon.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
During the Southern Section Division 2 playoffs last year, Dunn became Sierra Canyon’s go-to player, with 253 yards rushing against Gardena Serra, 193 yards against La Puente Bishop Amat and 206 yards in the final against Inglewood.
Dunn said he was surprised at his sophomore achievements but learned the lesson that hard work clears the path for possibilities.
“When I got out there, I started getting a feeling for things and my best translated to being good or great,” Dunn said.
Dunn has focused on becoming a versatile running back and learning to be exceptional as a blocker, receiver and runner.
“I love playing running back,” he said. “You have to learn how to do everything. The best qualities are to learn how to block, be patient and know your reads. Catching the ball, you try your best. Running the ball, you have to have a feeling for it. I kind of visualize what’s going to happen before the play starts and see how people are going to move.”
Few positions require more durability than running back, and Dunn said he embraces the challenges.
“You got to be a warrior,” he said. “You get hit every play whether you have the ball or not. You have to be tough and get up every play. I love the feeling I can get beat down but get back up. It breaks your opponent’s will. You see your opponent’s face, ‘Man, how many times is he going to get back up?’”
With Sierra Canyon adding three all-star players with quarterback Wyatt Becker from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and receivers Kwazi Gilmer from West Hills Chaminade and Xavier Jordan from L.A. Cathedral, Dunn’s ability to run the ball will take on added importance. Any success he has will make it easier for the Trailblazers’ new passing game to succeed.
“When Sierra Canyon plays at our best, we’re a balanced football team that has threats in every aspects of the game,” Ellinghouse said.
And just wait to watch Dunn on breakaways.
“Breaking away is amazing because you have to do so much to get past 11 guys,” Dunn said. “Once you get there, you have to run for your life.”
Tuesday: Reseda Cleveland wide receiver Kory Hall.